Generally, an exterior light device on an automotive vehicle provides a visually illuminated field of view for driving or to indicate a braking or turning of an automobile to alert other motorists on the road. A typical light device used to illuminate a field of view is a headlight constructed so that light rays radiated from a light source are reflected off a reflector toward the front of the automotive vehicle as a high beam or a low beam of light. A typical light device used to indicate the braking of an automotive vehicle is a taillamp constructed to direct light rays radiated from a light source toward the rear of the automotive vehicle.
Headlights and taillights of automobiles have different regulations and requirements for performance. For example, a headlight is required to be able to concentrate light onto a desired area, produce a gradient intensity change for efficient visual aiming, and maintain glare light control. Conversely, a taillight may need to meet other light output visibility and size requirements.
To meet these requirements, many light sources may be used to radiate light rays from an automotive light device. For example, an incandescent light bulb, or other light sources as well may be used. However, typical light bulbs have poor power use efficiency and a short lifetime expectancy. As an alternative to incandescent light bulbs, light emitting diode (LED) lamps have also been used in automotive lighting in vehicles such as, cars, motorcycles, forklifts, ATVs, trailers, and other motor vehicles. LEDs can be designed to maximize brightness and fill an entire area of a light fixture according to a desired application. Furthermore, LEDs consume less power and generate less heat, have a longer lifetime, and therefore may be a better choice for automotive light devices.
Typical LED light fixtures comprise numerous LEDs arranged to direct light through the light fixture. For example, a typical fixture may contain six LEDs arranged perpendicular to a lamp base in order to radiate light onto a light fixture reflector and illuminate an entire surface of the fixture. Still other existing designs may use more than 6 LEDs, and/or any number of LEDs within one light fixture to fulfill output requirements. Existing LED lamps that utilize multiple LED light sources to fulfill light output requirements can be difficult to manufacture due to a complexity of a light fixture housing design resulting from numerous LEDs in the same housing and a heat management solution for each. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a light device to overcome these problems.